After deciding on my equipment and gear I decided, due to the Shelter at Home Order, to do several local rides and one regional ride. This allowed me to return home each day, monitor the situation more closely and make sure we had what was needed before I left for an extended period of time.
The first ride took me around the heart of Gainesville before heading east to Newnans Lake on University Ave. The ride along the Lake is always nice, great view of homes as well as the Lake. The return trip on Hawthorne Rd. is not my favorite due to the amount of debris in the bike lane, the upside of this route is the Dollar General. Before returning home I rode by Depot Park, Gainesville did a great job developing this Park on the east side of town.
For the ride I pulled my BOB Trailer and put bags on the front and rear racks. The total mileage for the ride was 32 miles and my Avg. Spd. was 12mph. Confidence level was good after the ride.
May 02, 2020 - Day 2
For the ride I pulled my BOB Trailer and put bags on the front and rear racks. The total mileage for the ride was 32 miles and my Avg. Spd. was 12mph. Confidence level was good after the ride.
May 02, 2020 - Day 2
I wanted to increase my mileage a bit with the same set up as Day 1 so I decided to ride west on 53rd, Millhopper Rd. & NW 78th Ave. to Hwy 27. I headed north on 27 to High Springs and enjoyed seeing the old train station before picking up lunch at Winn Dixie. The ride home on 441 was a bit of a struggle, I was dragging after mile 30 and the temperature was climbing. The upsides of this ride were seeing my friend Gil who spotted me and pulled over to say hi and the large sweet iced tea I savored at McD in Alachua.
My ending mileage was 54 miles and my Avg. Spd. was 11.6. I was a bit surprised to tire after 30 miles so my confidence took a bit of a hit.
May 03, 2020 - Day 3
May 03, 2020 - Day 3
Due to the struggle of Day 2 and the decision that Days 4 & 5 would be a Regional Ride to Lake City, FL and back, I decided to keep my mileage in the 30's for Day 3. I rode east on Day 1, west on Day 2 so I decided to head south on Day 3.
After riding on the UF Campus and enjoying time at Lake Alice I left Campus and rode the SW 23rd Trail to Williston Rd. Once past I-75 Williston Rd. becomes countryside and leads to Wacahoota Rd., a favorite for many cyclists because it leads to 441. The scenery on Wacahoota Rd. is great but the surface could use a makeover. There is very little traffic and one house along the way looks as though it was plucked out of a Southwestern desert and dropped in the countryside of Alachua County.
There are a few ups and downs on this Route, once I crossed over I-75 I knew I was getting close to 441. 441 provides a great shoulder but you have to pay attention to the debris in the bike lane or else you are in danger of incurring a flat. After passing UF's Lake Wauburg and Bolen Bluff State Park you know it is just a matter of minutes before you enter Paynes Prairie. I love riding across Paynes Prairie and locals as well as tourists love sightseeing and/or fishing here. I was treated to 2 alligator sightings so it was a great way to draw this ride to a close.
Mileage for the ride was 36.2 and my Avg. Spd. was 10.8 due to a lot of sightseeing. Confidence level back up as I ready for my ride to Lake City and back.
May 04-05, 2020 - Days 4 & 5
May 04-05, 2020 - Days 4 & 5
To get to Lake City I took the same Route west and north as I did on Day 2. Once in High Springs I turned on to 441 north found a Subway that offered Dine In as well as great Subs. After lunch and chatting with a cycling enthusiast I headed to Lake City. After High Springs it's a ride in the coutryside until approaching I-75 and then Lake City.
Along the way I passed O'Leno SP, a place I have ridden to and camped at in the past. The Shell Station at I-75 is a great place to stop for a snack, cold drink and bathroom break. Due to the virus Social Distancing is stressed inside the store and the outside tables and chairs were closed off.
Once I got to Lake City and Hwy 90 I decided to get an early dinner before settling in. I wanted something more than McD so when I saw Longhorn I knew I could get some meat or fish, a salad and some veggies. I figured due to the virus it would be Take Out only so you can imagine how surprised I was to be offered the opportunity to Dine In. I was not nervous about this because I could tell that the Restaurant Staff was taking the virus serious. At first I was the only one seated in the Main Dining Room, several families came in after me and were spread out throughout the Dining Room. Servers were wearing Face Coverings and the Menus were paper.
After a great meal I settled in for the night. My mileage for the day was 55.4 and my Avg. Spd. was 11mph. I felt good about the day's ride.
After a nice rest I woke up early and decided to get going in order to beat the heat. I chose to take a different Route home, one that would take me off of 441 to Worthington Springs and Hwy 121. It was a very nice ride and I found a park new to me on 121 south. I took a shade, snack & cold drink (THANKS Yeti Mugs) before resuming the final stretch of the ride. I got home before the heat set in so it was nice to unpack and clean up my bike and trailer in pleasant conditions.
The ride home was 54.7 and my Avg. Spd. was 11.4mph, a bit up from the day before. All in all it was a good 2 days of riding and boosted my confidence heading into my multi day ride south.
The plan after the Local and Regional Rides is to be at home for 2 days to take care of any last minute business before setting out for 10 days. This will allow me to reevaluate my set up and gear.
